Method of and apparatus for cementing oil, gas, and water wells



Oct. 9, 1928. I 1,687,424

7 A. BOYNTON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CEMENTING OIL, GAS, AND WATER WELLS Filed Sept. 25, 1925 2 Sheeis-Sheet 1 WITNE.SSES INVENTOR A.Boy7vtow ATTORNEYS A. BOYNTON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CEMENTING OIL, GAS, AND WATER WELLS Filed Sept. 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet lNVENTOR A Boynion ATTORNEYS iIIIE I i V V l a Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER BOYNTON, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CEMENTING OIL, GAS, AND WATER WELLS.

.lpplication filed September 25, 1925. Serial m. 58,584.

This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for cementing oil, gas and water wells.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of a method and apparatus of this character which enables the operator to accurately determine the proper regions of the well a to be cemented and to cement such regions, and which makes it possible to use a liner of the 'same' size as the casing and to hang or suspend the liner from the casing in such manner as to prevent the liner from being bent or distorted by Weight of casing above resting upon it and caving formation in wall of well, a hanging liner being less liable to bend. than a standing liner. Another advantage resides in the fact that the portion of the hole which extends through the oil producing formation may be enlarged by reaming or by means of ex- )losives either after drilling is completed and before liner is set or anywhere below bottom of liner after the liner is set, this resulting from the fact that the liner is suspended from the casing and does not rest on the bottom of the well in accordance withthe usual practice. Obviously, when the liner is supported or rests on the bottom of the well, as has been the practice heretofore,

the Well could not be enlarged at the bottom since to do so would destroy the liner. Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing an apparatus embodying the present invention positioned in a well,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation further illustrating the arrangement shown in Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view with parts broken away and shown in section and illustrating the auxiliary packer,

Figure 4 is a detail view in section showing the construction of one of the sealing members employed between the well casing and the wall ofthe well hole, and

Figure 5 is a detail view in section illustrating how the flexible container constitutwill be hereinafter more fully described and in order to more clearly illustrate the struc' ture of the well hole. The shoulder 3 is located just above the oil producing formations.

The present invention proposes the use of an ordlnary well casing 4 in which a main packer element, designated generally at 5 and a perforated cement discharge pipe or nipple 6 is incorporated. A liner of the same size as the well casing or larger if desired is suspended on the well casing by virtue of the fact that it is screwed onto the lower end of the packer.

. The packer 5 includes'a main section 8 and a pair of spaced packer or sealing members, designated generally at 9, one sealing member being located at each end of the main section. These sealing or packer members are shown in detail in Fig. 4 each includes a tubular body portion 10. Coupling sleeves 11, 12, 13 and 14 are threadedly connected to the body portions of the sealing members. The sealing or packing members are identical except that the bottom member is slightly smaller than the top member. In this manner each sealing member comes into powerful contact with the wall of the well. The top ,sealing member shears off a portion of the wall and forces the sheared formation down. This sheared formation cannot pass the bottom sealing member and an impaction of great density is thus formed between upper and lower sealing members. The coupling sleeves 12 and 13 are also threadedly connected with the main section 8, the coupling sleeve 11 with the'well casing and the coupling sleeve 14 with the liner. Annular belt washers 15 which are cut from rubber belting or other durable and pliable metal or fabric are mounted on the tubular body 10, the belting or other kind of washers being assembled in face to face relation and being forced into one compact assembly sand without danger of sand bridging in the casing or settling on the plu and causin an impaction in the well casing. As eacbatch ofv cement is mixed to the consistency of ancake batter, a port in the mixin box which is connected with the casing y a suitable tube is opened and cement is allowed to run into the well casing. The cement beng heavier than the mud fluid will force the bottom plug downward even though the well on the outside of the casin is full of mud fluid to the top of the groun After the required amount of cement has been poured into the well casin or pumped in as desired a taper top plug 3 is inserted. The plug 37 also has its greatest diameter slightly less than the internal diameter of the well casing. This top plug is somewhat longer than the bottom plug and the'combined length of the two plugs should be sufiicient to entirely close off the perforated cement discharge section 6. On top of the plug 36 a belt washer 38 and suitable fibrous packing, which may be a cement sack 39,

' are placed. The pump P is then connected up to the top of the well casing and mud fluid is pumped in on top of the plug 37.

This forces the plug 37 down through the well casingand the plug 37 in turn forces the cement C and plug down through the well casing. Eventually the cement flows out through the perforations of the section 6 and is held outside of the well casing and in proper position by the action of the pump upon plugs 35 and 37 The operator is notified of the fact that the cement has been forced outside of the casing by virtue of the stalling of the pump which occurs when the plugs 35 and 37 abut each other and the lower plug 35 abuts the brass plug 18. The plug 37 is retained in position by closing the valve V which holds the pressure in the well casing that has been built upby the pump. The flexible packing element 20 is merely a safeguard to provide against the cont ngency of a leak developing around the belt washers 15. It collapses downward upon the top sealing member instantly upon any downward movement of cement.

In considering the advantages of the present method, it must be remembered that in the old method of cementing, the casing is cemented before the well is drilled in. If 6" casing is cemented the well must be drilled in with not larger than a 5%"bit. Then not larger than 4 liner can be set. Therefore the old well has 6" casing where I use 4 casing, and it has the same size liner that I use. The saving is the difference in cost between the 6" and the 4 casing. Furthermore, by drilling my wells in before I set 4 casing and liner, I make the hole through the oil sands 6 diameter or even larger, whereas, the old method, as stated, makes a well not larger than 5 If I can therefore see that I can drill my wells in throu h the oil sands with a diameter of 7 w ereas, the old type of well cannot possibly be drilled in with larger than a. 5 bit, assuming that 6" casing is set.

Another advantage to be considered is that a liner hanging from the top is less apt to be bent by caves from the side of the well than a liner standing upon its bottom. A long liner standing upon its bottom will often bend and go out into openings or caved away places in the wall by force of its own Weight from above, whereas, my type of liner suspended from the casing is under tension which tends to keep it straight and resist forces exerted from the side.

My type of well can be reamed or shot to a larger di ameter in the oil sands before being cemented because this type of well is drilled in before it is cemented; cons uently the sands can be reached; whereas t e old type of well has not reached the oil sand before the casing is cemented. Therefore, if it is decided to ream an .old type well, in which '6 casing has been set, the diameter of the reaming tool is necessarily limited to less than 6"; whereas, my type of well can be reamed with a much larger tool before casing and liner are set, because, as stated above, this type of well can be drilled in with as large as a 7%" bit, the upper section being drilled with a 7 7 bit.

The pay sands in this type of well may be enlarged by shooting below the bottom of the hanging liner, and it may be reamed in the oil sands with a much larger tool than could possibly be inserted through the old type of well, after it is drilled in, because, as above stated, the old type of well must then be entered through the casing which has not yet been put into my type of well when it is ready to ream, just before liner is set.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for use in cementing oil, gas and water wells comprising in combination with the usual well casing, a perforated cement discharge nipple incorporated in the well casing, and a plurality of spaced packers also incorporated in the well casing, the upper packer being designed to shear off some of the'material making up the wall of the well hole, the packers confining the sheared ofi' material between them and cansing the sheared off material to be compacted into a dense mass,and a liner carried by the well casing.

2. An apparatus for use in cementing oil, gas and water wells comprising a well casing having cement discharge means incorporated therein and also having externally projecting packers below the "cement discharge means, one or the packers bein larger than the other to shear ofi material rom the torprojecting packers below the cement dis--' charge means, than the other to shear off material from the one of the packers being larger formation the other packers confining the sheared 0 material between them and causingthe sheared ofl material to be compacted into a dense mass, and an auxiliary packing element above sad s aced packers and ad ment mounted on top 'well casing, and a p urality'o ers also incorporated in the well casing,

jacent the cement disc arge means, said aux:

lliary packing element comprising a flexible container having its lower end secured to the well casing and having itsupper end open.

4. An apparatus for use in cementin oil, gas and water wells, comprising in com ination with the usual well casing a perforated cement discharge nipple incorporated in the well casing, a removable closure element blocking the bore of thewell casing just below the cement discharge nipple and spaced (plugs inserted in the casing between the mu fluid and the cement, said'pluas be ing tapered and having their greatest diameters slightly less than the internal diameter of the well casing, a flexible packing elelug being relative short, the combined ength of the two p ugs being suflicient to completely block the discharge opening.

5. An apparatus for use in cementin oil, gas and water wells comprising in comgination with the usual well casing, a perforated. cement discharge ni ple incorporated in the the upper acker being designed to shear ofl? some '0 the materia making up the wall of th well hole, the packers confining the sh ared ofl materialbetween them and causing the sheared ofl' material to be compacted into a; dense mass, and aliner carried by the well casing, in combination with an auxiliary packing element consisting of a flexible. conof each plug, the lower spaced pack-.

gas and water wells comprising in com ination with the usual well casing, a perforated cement dischar e ni ple incor orated in the well casing, an a p urality o spaced packers also incorporated in the well casing, the

upper packer being designed to shear ofl some of the material making up the wall of the well hole, the packers confining the sheared ofi material between them and causing the sheared ofl materialto be compacted into a dense mass,'and a liner carried by the wellcasing, in combinationwith an auxili'ary packZng element comprising a flexible container, means for securing the lower end of the flexible container to the well casing includlng a binding of wire on the lower end of the flexible container, the well casing having peripheral grooves co-acting with the wire bindEng, and a covering of solder for said wire blndin 7. The herein described method of cementing oil, gas and water wells which consists in formm a well with a relatively small lower portlon and a relatively large upper portion and leaving a shoulder at the junctureof such portions and just above the oil producingformations, in introducing an assembled well casing, cement dischar e nippleypacker and liner into the well ho e, and shearing ofl' a portion of the wall of the small lower section of the well hole between the elements of the packer to aid the packer in sealing ofl. the 011 producing formations from above and in introducing cement through the well casing and out through the perforated nipple into the Wellbetween the casing and formation. v. p 8. he herein described method of cementing oil, gas and water wells which consists in introducing cement down through the well casing betweenplugs and under the action of fluid pressure in the ordinary way and in holding. the plugs in posltion to keep the cement out of the well casing by maintaining the pressure above the plugs until the cement is set'.

ALEXANDER BOYNTON. 

